trancfer KLAUS SCHULZE

this is the other Klaus Schulze LP i picked up at Breakaway Records the other day. and it's a nice compliment to "Irrlicht" in that this one, "Trancefer" was released 10 years later in 1981 (also by Brain Records) and was the first Schulze album to feature digital recording and mixing.

this LP is a bit different from "Irrlicht" in that it features other musicians as well: percussion from Michael Shrieve and Cello by Wolfgang Tiepold. using primarily analog synthesizers through digital equipment gives it a different overall feel and ten years later we find Schulze more interested in sci-fi than kosmische. tons of arpeggiated synths float throughout with steady pulsing hi-hats and percussion. less space music and more sci-fi thriller. this is a few years after he did the soundtrack to Dune after all. and the B-side "Silent Running" is based on a recent sci-fi film of the same name starring Bruce Dern.

this kinda brings to mind how a lot of the earlier 70's/80's synth/space music seemed more foreboding and sinister. i mean we were in the beginning of the Cold War and Space Race and things seemed more threatening since space was such an unknown. i find it interested to see how a lot of this earlier music influenced a lot of current synth explorers yet the modern take on it is more etheral and lacks a lot of the dramatic feeling of the earlier stuff...

regardless this is yet another wonderful Schulze album, maybe not as mindblowing as "Irrlicht" but still highly enjoyable. listen to it here.

irrlicht KLAUS SCHULZE

occasionally i'll stop by Breakaway Records here in austin. though they tend to focus on rare soul/R&B and old 45's you can still find a wide variety of great vinyl. and on even better occasions like the other day I stumbled upon two really amazing original Klaus Schulze LP's and Can's "I Want More" 45 12" single. quite a score indeed.

"Irrlicht," released on Brain Records back in 1971 was his very first solo LP (the same year Tangerine Dream (with Schulze on drums) released "Electronic Meditations"). yes you could draw many parallels between the two LP's, and both hold up amazingly well over time, but Schulze's "Irrlicht" (translates as "erring light") is a real monster. Schulze was originally known as a drummer and founding member of Ash Ra Tempel and then went on to play with Tangerine Dream but this is the first solo LP and would kinda pave the way for the work for which he is most commonly known.

what's even more appealing and baffling about this particular LP is that it features no synthesizers whatsoever! All sounds are produced from organs, oscillators and electronically processed orchestral passages. the LP starts with a very intense and full on drone but slowly builds up the drama with grandiose organ chords and then really starts blowing you away with the phasing effects which at times sound almost Steve Reich-esque. it can be a bit dramatic at times but totally mindblowing all the same. unrelenting, pulsating, beautiful space music. highly highly recommended! Listen to it here.